Fire and Freedom - Book One of the Café Latte Trilogy

Chapter Twenty-Two - Ross

Chapter Twenty-Two – Ross

It was a great day. The sun was shining, the weather was warm with a nice cool breeze, and I was irritated that I was going to witness it all from the confines of my office.

"Any chance of you getting in early today?" Louise asked, having called. "Denise has to leave around two to pick up her kid and take him to the doctors, so we might have to start a bit sooner than we realised."

I checked my watch. "Sure, I'll set off in a few. I'll just call Tom and see if he can take Jasper in today, then I'll head in."

"Okay, thanks," Louise replied, and I heard some typing. "I just got in so I'll do what I can while we wait for you."

"Thanks, Lou," I replied, and then I heard heavy footsteps approaching. I watched Jasper stumble into the kitchen, half-asleep, and head for the sink. He looked completely disorientated, with bleary eyes and a pale face. He stuck his head under the tap and turned it on, groaning in relief as the cold water drenched his head.

"What on earth are you doing?" I asked him, and then said, "Not you, Louise, sorry - Jasper's up."

"Oh, tell him good morning from me," Louise said cheerfully.

I relayed the message, and Jasper stood up from underneath the tap, not seeming to care that water was running down his neck and onto his clothes. He nodded in response and turned back to the sink, pouring himself a glass of water and drinking the entire thing. "Are you okay?" I asked him. "You look like hell."

"I'm fine," Jasper said, but his voice was hoarse and scratchy.

I frowned. "Are you sick?"

"It's just making the rounds," he replied, pouring another glass of water. "It's fine, it's just a virus, I'll live."

I sighed, speaking into the phone. "Louise, one moment." I then fixed Jasper with a stern look. "Get back into bed, I'll call the school and let them know you're sick."

"I'm fine," he said firmly, heading towards the bedroom. "I'll call Tom, I heard you say you need to be in early. I can't skip classes now anyway, it's all revision cram sessions for exams. I don't want to miss it."

"If you don't rest, you'll crash," I persisted. "Get back into bed-"

"Oh for God's sake," he snapped, looking at me with sudden anger in his eyes. "I'm not a kid, Ross. You're not my boyfriend, or my guardian, and I don't need you to tell me what to do. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

I blinked at his sudden outburst. "Alright, I was just saying-"

"Well don't say anything," he said, and stormed in the direction of our room. "I'm going to get dressed and get Tom to pick me up."

I was so taken-aback by his sudden change in mood that I almost didn't hear Louise chuckle. "Poor Jasper," her voice was full of amusement. "He must be really pissed off with you about the other night."

"I told you that in confidence," I muttered in a low voice. "Anyway, it's been four days since that - he can't still be pissed off with me, right?"

"You said he's been avoiding you," Louise pointed out. "Busy all day at school, then staying out with Tom half the night? No wonder he's sick, he's been pushing himself too much. It's not like you've tried to talk to him about it."

I hadn't tried to talk to him because it was by far the most uncomfortable conversation I could imagine. Jasper had been fuming with me, and I'd been fuming with him, even though I really didn't have a right to be. He had been nice to me since he'd moved in, and I had been a dick. Raven, Edward, and Harper hadn't said much about it all, trying to avoid pissing me off, but they clearly were all thinking the same thing, that I was being an arsehole.